February 2014 - is there an octopus in there?

[LittlePandaBear]

Okay I don't like to run out of things, even threads, so here's the new one.

Can't remember who described their baby kicking like an octopus but it's very true :)

Had my 28-week visit from MW today. Apparantly I am also in the anterior placenta club, which I hadn't realised. I'm measuring 28 weeks so baby appears to have slowed down slightly, and everything seems fine at the moment.

I'm going to paint my nursery tomorrow :-)
Went to B&Q for paint today and the dozy girl mis-read the price label so I paid £3.98 for the whole tin, not £398 per litre... Not that I'm complaining...! Also picked up my wall stickers from Mothercare and my new wardrobe and chest of drawers arrived as well so I'm all set! Looking forward to it.

Thanks Champs and I'm sooooo with you on the nausea/sicknes and exhaustion today. This morning I puked violently in the shower and had to get onto my hands and knees to finish the job off properly, pretty nice mental image for you all. About to hop in the bath and thank goodness I have tomorrow booked off as annual leave so going to have a nice day with DS seeing a couple of friends with little ones.

Luckily my maternity policy is awesome (and they're super generous with paying into my childcare voucher account too) and there is no stipulation about paying any of it back. Win!

Sorry some of you are feeling crap again I'm with you on feeling exhausted. My back was killing today and I felt really tired and weak this morning, especially after shouting at a naughty kid - had to sit down as I felt kinda light headed. Grrrr stupid school stressing me out. Luckily management have decided 2 weeks of possible observations is ridiculous so have decided to give us a two day window instead where they will tell us the day before that we will be observed at some point. Still stressful and crap but less so. Doesn't help that we also have parents evening and prize night during this time as well. I'm finding it hard to keep on top of it all at the moment as I just get so tired that after I've taught all day I can't stay and do all the extra hours I normally do

House wise - still no bath/shower/sink upstairs. DH was home today and got a plumber round who is sending over a quote tonight and he's off tomorrow morning as someone from the insurance company is coming to assess tomorrow. Looks like they're gonna have to take up the bath, sink and toilet so I'm just praying they can sort it soon and don't leave us without a loo - if so I think we'll be off to a hotel too!

So so glad it's Friday tomorrow! I can't wait to have a rest this weekend. Need to try and resist the urge to do loads of planning for work as I need to prioritise resting as this week has been such a struggle. Roll on maternity!

grumble grumble. Really grumpy with my OH at the moment, he was so good with everything for a while and now has just suddenly stopped doing anything apart from his new job and hobbies. rargh.

Sorry to those of you that are still feeling ill. I've come to the conclusion that my new state of being is tiredness, and it may never end!

Had a stressy work day but just managed to get things done before I needed to leave for yoga.

bare that's a real shame about your replacement. I hope they have more success the second time. I thought there was a real demand for teachers, there is down here in East Sussex.

my job still hasn't been advertised, and my boss is out and about tmw. it'll be probably go online when I leave...

Loves my mat pay is like yours, absolute winner esp as I think it v unlikely I'll go back...

Can't believe how cold it is getting! It's my first uk winter in a while and I think im going to be complaining suffering quite a lot. May well be the cold that forces me off the bike before bump related wobbliness.

Misskat and other teachers I am SO impressed you manage all day on your feet. Doubt I'd manage a lesson before being in too much pain. Bare I do hope they'll find a decent replacement for your kids!

Just checking in to say don't forget your pelvic floor, I haven't done mine for a few days and DH made me laugh so hard I wet myself in his new car. At him, not with him. Leather seats luckily. But it was only a tiny leak.

Been really naughty and had a glass of prosecco and a tirimasu containing raw eggs and alcohol. Can feel Boris/Doris squirming now so I know its alive...... But potentially drunk.

I really really really truly LOVE being pregnant. I'm very proud of you ladies who have been through so much and so many miserable times. I can't imagine what it's like for you all when all I have to worry about is bending over. So well done all of you, we've all come so far. Am I going to be the only one who is really reluctant to give birth in February? I just feel so fantastic I don't want this feeling to ever go away. May change my mind on or after the 1/2/14, but that's my prerogative. Night preggos.

Ah shrops that's lovely. I love being pregnant too and will really miss it but at the same time can't help wishing it away. It's like being in a secret club that you never knew existed and once you've had your baby you're not allowed in it anymore.

Shrops I am so envious of you loving pregnancy. You're clearly going to end up surrounded by about five lovely children (and lots of dogs) living the rural dream. I'm just counting down on every front now - counting down the weeks/days to maternity leave, then Christmas, then to February. Then never again!

Sorry, re read my midnight post and it makes me sound like a smug twat- enormous apologies.

Funny thing is, although I really don't want a spoilt child, I'm very tempted to just stick to one so that I can afford to give it the lovely life I have had and not stretch ourselves financially. Maybe a bit early days for those thoughts.... My only worry is that living in the arse end of nowhere it will have no one to play with but my sister and children are only minutes away. Hmmmmm.

I'm with you Loves never again after this. I do love the feeling of baby moving about inside that is magic. But as for the rest of pregnancy I just get too ill and have too many issues. I am surprised I am Surprised number 3 to be honest I must be mad. But this is it I am absolutely not having any more.

Oh gosh I am so extremely tired. And I have volunteered to go on a school trip this morning to the forest with 30 little munchkins. But I just want to come home and sleep. The exercise will do me good no doubt. I hope it's another sunny day today, yesterday was lovely.

Morning all! Shrops I was very much like you, in that so far I'd had a great pregnancy, and stood in awe of you ladies who've had such a lot to deal with. Now in the final throes it's getting a bit more complicated, but if I can just get to grips with what my body wants to eat and not keep spiking my blood sugars, I might be able to just amble through all the extra appointments and looming interventions.

Speaking of blood sugar spikes (this will be my only topic for the next 8 weeks, sorry) I trialled a super-tasty, rich, filling, incredibly easy oaty-bake, kind of like a flapjack, at my WI last night, and they got a resounding thumbs up. So I think I have found an ideal labour-cake! I think the next batch will just be a straight-up tray bake. Anyway, recipe is here if you fancy something very tasty, filling and wholesome:
blueberrygirlinoz.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/no-sugar-oat-drops.html

You don't sound smug Shropshire, I don't think you need to apologise or stay quiet about enjoying pregnancy! I'm not loving it, despite it being 'easy', or pain free at least, but just because I'm mostly bored! Bored of having loads of restrictions placed on me basically. I'm well aware I will have even more restrictions placed on me once baby arrives but then I will have a BABY and that's just ridiculously exciting. (I used to spend many many hours a week circus training and climbing etc and had to instantly give all that up as well as other things, so that's quite a big void that appeared in my life and I miss it dreadfully)

I'm also currently in the 'one child only' camp which I've discovered is way more controversial than I would have thought. I've just seen all my friends have one and love it and then have a second and it seems to break them! (Obv. this is just my experience of my friends and they would prob disagree!) We certainly rarely get to see the ones with two any more as they have to entirely give up all non-child related activities for several years! It might sound selfish but I'm not entirely keen on giving up all of 'me' just yet and would like to keep doing the things/activities/hobbies I am passionate about (which seems achievable with one child). I think they make me a better happier person, and so consequently a better parent I am sure.

I grew up in the stix and had siblings but we didn't get on until we were grown up, so I certainly never played with them and was actually quite solitary. (I should have gone to the village school and been able to make local friends but annoyingly was sent to one miles away.) So you can have other kids to give your first born company but it mightn't work out like that!

I've had five phone conversations with my boss already this morning, grrr. None urgent. Oh well, 5 weeks left

shrops I have moments when I love the pregnancy, the feeling of it kicking is amazing! I still have moments of worry/pain/tiredness when I get annoyed but it'll all be worth it.

We'd love more than one child, but it was a bit of a mission to get this far and I got really stressed going through all the fertility tests and years of trying that I really don't want that pressure again. So whilst we would love to have more than one we'd also be happy with just this one of that is how things work out.

Such a shit night's sleep. Massive ligament pain, asthma flared up and then my heartbeat went a bit crazy fast. So I didn't really need a wake up call from my boss once I finally got to sleep! I'm back in bed now for a sneaky second snooze.

For those first timers you might surprise yourselves - about half an hour after giving birth to dd I said to dh that was fine I can do that again and that was after pretty much moaning about back ache, heartburn, nausea etc in last months! Both dh and I are only children and for me I didn't want that for my child as was quite lonely on occasions. I always wanted two children so this is our last and I feel like my little family will be complete.

You don't sound smug, but I do envy you Shrops! I always wanted four - I had one brother growing up and longed for a bigger family. But given how miserable pregnancy has been as well as, like Eeyore, fertility issues, I think it's going to be two max. I think if I was in your shoes I'd be popping them out :) (Weirdly, I'm not at all worried about giving my kids the material privileges I had. DH much more so!)

I also envy everyone on the thread on their 2nd/3rd that never has to go through this again

notone it's funny, the only child thing is very controversial. I grew up in London and loads of my friends were only children, maybe to do with people not being able to afford more or maybe to do with lots of Mums having quite high flying careers, I don't know. But where I live now people tend to have 3 or more and there's always lots of commentary on only children, even from their own parents! Weird. As always, do what's best for you and your family. Besides, he won't be lonely. He has the cat siblings.

gnitting I love the fact you are in the WI. Are you young for the group or is yours quite a young one in general? What sort of things do you get up to? Have always thought I'd quite love it.

marzipanned We're part of the new wave of mostly urban WIs, the fabulous and eccentric Gothic Valley WI, which is based in North London, but because it draws its members culturally rather than geographically we're a widely spaced bunch. No need to wear black, be a goth, or even have been born a woman - I love 'em. Age range is 19 to 48 but clustered in the late 20s to mid-30s, lots of women who are child-free by choice (who regard me as brave and weird in equal measure) and some who are child-less who are all promising to come by and baby-sit. We do a range of the usual stuff, with a somewhat dark slant, so our February craft session was sex-toy bags, soft restraints and blindfolds, we had a lecture on the Highgate Vampire phenomenon of the 70s, and if you need vegan, gluten-free, egg/nut/whatever free baking we're your go-to bakers, so we're often asked to contribute to council fetes and the like. Quite a few other new-wave WIs around, like the Shoreditch Sisters, or the Borough Belles, who are more active politically, but we're the best dressed.

If there's a WI in your area, I'd really recommend checking them out - you can often go to a meeting without being a member, and it's no longer the exclusive preserve of Jerusalem-singing elderly ladies.

I so envy you guys who are enjoying your pregnancies! I am not enjoying the SPD or PSD - never remember the order of it.. but for me the biggest issue is the impact the hormones have on my bipolar disorder, it's completely out of control and makes life nearly unbearable both for me and those nearest to me. I dread being pregnant again, especially with a little one to look after, when I can't quite look after myself.

I want two kids, as I think it's better to have two fairly close, than just one or several spread apart. Both me and my other half have siblings, but with such insane age gaps that we both sort of missed out on the whole sibling thing when growing up. I've never lived with both my sisters at once, the eldest moved out when the youngest was born! But it is of course up to each family to decide, and I don't think a only child will be lonely without siblings, as long as they have friends.

gnitting your wi sounds fab! I looked at joining when we moved here (3 different groups in one small village!) as I like making jam and baking cakes but judging by the monthly schedule it's still.very much jam and jerusalem round our way.

I'm not having a bad pregnancy by any means but there's so much else going on at the moment I feel stressed because I can't make the most of our last few weeks together as 'just us', shopping for baby stuff is squeezed in around the edges, and I feel like I'm wishing the days away just for the chance to slow down rather than looking forward to having the baby Things are going to have to change when i go back from mat leave - but I keep saying no to things now and still end up having them dumped on me so not sure how to.make sure they really do change.

Having said I'm having an ok preg, today I'm exhauated and earlier had mini preggo rage meltdown when a man in a museum told me to check my handbag into the cloakroom. I don't speak the language here and couldn't say "it's not the bag that's big it's everything else making it stick out." to prove a.point am.now.carrying entire contents of said small bag which has made my fingers swell up. Am also not.speaking to dh as he was obviously in on the conspiracy and didn't stick up for me (just offered to carry my things in his pocket which.obviously wouldn't have helped because then how would the security guard have noticed that i had a point to prove?!) So in conclusion, am looking forward to getting my normal, reasonably rational non-preg hormones back. I might have exploded by feb if people keep winding me up telling me politely to follow the rules

Gnitting Wish I could join your WI! I guess I could commute to it seeing as I'm at the end of the met line, but am extremely unlikely to :)

I woke up today to find a dream-gasm was actually a real-life-gasm. Cool! No work to put in! They seem less powerful now for some reason. Though I am sad at the state of our sex life at the moment. It's gone AWOL.

Is anyone else kind of having an identity crisis regarding loss of self with upcoming motherhood? All I know is my life is going to change irrevocably and almost completely, and I can't picture it. I feel like I'm on the edge of a cliff and can't see over.

gnitting that does sound amazing. I did wonder whether it was a funky urban one! When I lived in London I had a friend in the Shoreditch Sisters and it seemed like a lot of cupcakes, cocktails and sex toys. Have just had a look into our local offering and it's the WRI - R for rural ! - it sounds rather like sunflowered's local. I think I might really enjoy it nevertheless, though, looking at the pictures on the website, I'd be the sole non-white-haired participant :)

littleen are you allowed to take medication for your BPD while pregnant? It must be utterly horrible feeling out of control in that way. At least with physical ailments you can sort of laugh at it (never thought I'd laugh at having an IV stuck in my arm while DH tried to tie my puke infested hair back, but I did!)
Remember there is a middle ground between the huge and very small age gap. I am thinking a gap of 4/5 years might be really good as (a) I don't know how I'd cope with a toddler and HG and (b) you get lots of one on one time with both babies. Of course that is massively touch wood that this baby is okay and I am able to conceive again!